Cleveland Cavaliers Favored to Win 2016 NBA Championship

Despite LeBron James’ bravado and otherworldly talent, things don’t look good for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. They’re down 3-2 to the NBA’s best team, and are likely to start an unhappy summer vacation in the coming days.

According to the Westgate LV SuperBook, LeBron’s Cavs are the odds-on favorites to win the championship in 2015-16. Vegas figures that with a healthy Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, James will finally be able to bring a ring to his title-starved city.

Per CBS Sports:

The Westgate LV SuperBook on Monday opened betting on the 2016 NBA title, and Cleveland – not Golden State – is the clear favorite. The book opened the Cavaliers at 9-to-4, followed by the Warriors and Thunder at 5-to-1.

“You’re seeing what the Cavs are doing right now without their second- and third-best players,” SuperBook director Jay Kornegay said. “With LeBron James carrying the entire team on his back, they’re pushing the current best team to six or seven games in the NBA Finals. […] Not only do we expect [Kevin] Love and [Kyrie] Irving to be back, you’ve got to expect they’re going to add a couple role players to make them deeper for the long playoff run.”

The Cavs’ odds are lower because they get to play in the East. The NBA is looking into a new playoff format but changes aren’t expected soon. […] “When you look at what Cleveland has to face in the playoffs, that’s definitely part of it,” Kornegay said. “They don’t have to go through the Thunder, Clippers and Spurs just to reach the Finals.”